MBB's Omier named to Karl Malone Award Watch List
10/31/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BU’s Johnathan Motley won the award in 2017
WACO, Texas — Baylor men's basketball forward Norchad Omier was named to the Karl Malone Award Watch List Thursday, honoring the nation's top power forward.
The Karl Malone award is the only Naismith starting five honor a Baylor Bear has won, as Johnathan Motley took home the distinction in 2017. Omier made the preseason watch list his last two seasons at Miami, making the top 10 in each of those seasons.
The Bluefields, Nicaragua, native was selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team earlier this month. In his two seasons with Miami, he helped the Hurricanes to the first Final Four in program history in 2023 and averaged a career-best 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the All-ACC Second Team. He was also honored with the Skip Prosser Award for men's basketball last season, given to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men's basketball. Prior to that, the 6-foot-7 big man was a standout at Arkansas State, garnering all-conference accolades, as highlighted by his 2022 Sunbelt Player of the Year nod. Omier is the first person from Nicaragua to receive a Division I basketball scholarship.
One of five Big 12 honorees, Omier will compete against Arizona's Carter Bryant, Houston's J'Wan Roberts, Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins and Texas Tech's JT Toppin within the league. In addition to those four players, the Bears will see two more of the honorees in the non-conference slate, facing Gonzaga's Graham Ike and UConn's Alex Karaban.
The list will change throughout the season, allowing players to play their way on or off the list. It will be trimmed to 10 in early February, with the final five being announced a month later. The winner will be unveiled at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, on April 4th.
Fan voting presented by Dell Technologies is now open, with the player who earns the most votes getting an additional vote from the committee. For any additional information, please visit the official website: http://www.hoophallawards.com/.
For additional updates, follow @BaylorMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Karl Malone award is the only Naismith starting five honor a Baylor Bear has won, as Johnathan Motley took home the distinction in 2017. Omier made the preseason watch list his last two seasons at Miami, making the top 10 in each of those seasons.
The Bluefields, Nicaragua, native was selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team earlier this month. In his two seasons with Miami, he helped the Hurricanes to the first Final Four in program history in 2023 and averaged a career-best 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the All-ACC Second Team. He was also honored with the Skip Prosser Award for men's basketball last season, given to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men's basketball. Prior to that, the 6-foot-7 big man was a standout at Arkansas State, garnering all-conference accolades, as highlighted by his 2022 Sunbelt Player of the Year nod. Omier is the first person from Nicaragua to receive a Division I basketball scholarship.
One of five Big 12 honorees, Omier will compete against Arizona's Carter Bryant, Houston's J'Wan Roberts, Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins and Texas Tech's JT Toppin within the league. In addition to those four players, the Bears will see two more of the honorees in the non-conference slate, facing Gonzaga's Graham Ike and UConn's Alex Karaban.
The list will change throughout the season, allowing players to play their way on or off the list. It will be trimmed to 10 in early February, with the final five being announced a month later. The winner will be unveiled at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, on April 4th.
Fan voting presented by Dell Technologies is now open, with the player who earns the most votes getting an additional vote from the committee. For any additional information, please visit the official website: http://www.hoophallawards.com/.
For additional updates, follow @BaylorMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
2024-25 Season Awards
VJ Edgecombe
Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Jerry West Award Watch List
Norchad Omier
Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
NABC Player of the Year Watch List
Karl Malone Award Watch List
Jeremy Roach
Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year
Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
Bob Cousy Award Watch List
VJ Edgecombe
Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Jerry West Award Watch List
Norchad Omier
Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
NABC Player of the Year Watch List
Karl Malone Award Watch List
Jeremy Roach
Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year
Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team
Bob Cousy Award Watch List
Players Mentioned
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